The True Story of Kaluaikoolau

Book excerpt: The remote valley had become a refuge for Hawaiians afflicted with leprosy - rather than endure forced separation from their loved ones, a few dozen men and women managed to avoid capture and live in hiding with the help of friends and family. In June 1893 Koolau shot and killed a sheriff and two Provisional Government soldiers who had been sent to arrest him. He vowed never to be taken alive and became a powerful symbol of resistance for many Hawaiians in the years following the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani.